


AU!IAnthony: What's Your Name?

by KingOfHearts709



Category: Ianthony - Fandom, Smosh
Genre: AU, Anthony Padilla - Freeform, Chaptered, Healing, Ian Hecox - Freeform, Ianthony - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-18
Updated: 2015-06-03
Packaged: 2018-03-23 14:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3770893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingOfHearts709/pseuds/KingOfHearts709
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anthony Padilla is about to start a life he didn't know existed when a strange man in the street turns it around.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Who's That?

**Author's Note:**

> I finished it, guys! For all of those who were waiting for it to come out, here it is! I believe it took me a month to finish writing. I got stuck in a couple places, but for most of it, it flowed out pretty nicely! I hope those who were waiting will think it was worth the wait!  
> This work has been translated into Russian here!: https://ficbook.net/readfic/5863378 xoxo

Anthony Padilla was simply a normal person, one who had a job, a house, and, quite frankly, a normal life. He had dark brown eyes and even darker brown hair that quaffed to the right, plus a thin, yet muscled body that suited his slightly tall stature. He lived alone, despite the largeness of the house he lived in, only having a dog, Daisy, to keep him company. He worked a simple job at a fast food restaurant in town, and though it was fast food, it payed him a good amount of money for his work ethic.  
Of course, like all characters in the beginning of a story, his life was normal. Until now.  
The beginning of the day his life had changed was the norm for him. He woke, dressed, ate, then proceeded to go to the grocery store. He needed vegetables for the dinner he planned to make for his friends, Mari Takahashi and Matt Sohinki, that were coming over. Mari was of Japanese ethnicity with long black hair and a small body. Matt was a little taller and had a short buzzcut for his brown hair. Although his face wasn't one girls pined after, his humour made up for his physical state. Of course, because they weren't vegan like Anthony, they opted to have hot dogs rather than the salad they were going to eat originally. Albeit Anthony was a little against the idea, he convinced himself it would be okay.  
With his keys in hand, he started his car and made his way towards the store.  
"Hey!" he heard suddenly as he made his way out of the store, paper bags in hand. He looked around, but saw no one. Who the hell said that? "Hey, you!" Anthony finally turned towards the voice and saw a teenager, no older than sixteen, jogging his way. She held out an object. "I think you dropped this?" It was his wallet. He chuckled and set down a bag, checking to make sure the leather wallet was his.  
"Hey, thanks," he said, pocketing the possession. She grinned and shrugged.  
"Always happy to help out!" she smiled, then proceeded to walk off, waving back as she did. Didn't even expect that, he thought, grinning as he picked up his bag again.  
The drive back to his house was quiet.  
Mostly.  
He had been listening to the radio when he saw something. And then-  
"Holy shit!" Anthony yelled, screeching his car to a halt on the road his house was on. Someone had been standing in the middle of it. "What the hell are you doing?" he called out of his window. The person, who had to be a man about his own age, was standing there, and... Well, it now hit Anthony that he was naked. Instead of closing his eyes, he was too focused on the fact that the man had now fallen to the ground in a heap, most likely unconscious. Anthony rushed out of his car, proceeding to pick up the man, and it didn't matter whether he was clothed or not because a live human had just passed out in the middle of the road. He had lighter hair than him in an almost bowl-like shape, complete with what looked like a few days worth of a stubble beard. He seemed a bit shorter than Anthony, and maybe a little bit thicker, too. He set him in the passengers seat and took off his jacket, covering up the unconscious man's exposure before speeding back to his house.


	2. What Can You Do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This man is strange. Stranger than anyone Anthony has ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part! xoxo

"Oh, my fucking God," Anthony breathed out, staring at the man who was now on his couch, passed out under a blanket, now breathing steadily as if he had fallen asleep. He paced the living room, constantly rubbing his hands over his face and through his hair frantically. "Oh, what the hell am I supposed to do? A guy just stood in the middle of the street, passed out, and now he's asleep on my couch." He had been thinking about what to do for at least an hour now, but he felt as if he were forgetting something.  
There was a knock at the door.  
"Hey, Anthony!" a familiar female voice called through the door.  
Dinner. With Mari and Matt.  
Anthony approached the door slowly and opened it a crack to see Mari's face and Matt standing close behind her.  
"Hey, man," Matt greeted. He held up a game, which was most likely an Xbox game so they could all have a good time. "Brought a game we could play if you want." Anthony nodded.  
"Okay, uh...," Anthony began, but shook his head and stepped outside instead. "You guys, something really fucking weird happened, like, an hour and a half ago." Mari wrinkled her forehead.  
"Like what?" Mari asked. Anthony opened his mouth to explain exactly what had happened, but he decided it may have just been better to show them.  
"Okay, when I let you guys in, don't freak out, okay?" he said. Both Mari and Matt nodded, exchanging similar glances as they took careful steps inside the house.  
"Anthony," Matt said suddenly, pointing ahead of him. Anthony turned and was about to ask what was wrong until he followed the direction of his finger.  
The man was awake and standing in the middle of the room, naked, obviously, and observing his surroundings curiously. Anthony shook his head and rushed forward to grab the blanket and sit the man down before covering him up. He didn't know how to treat him. Did this man even know how to be human? Anthony gave a sign to the confused man to stay where he was. He ran back to where Mari and Matt were standing, who were now completely confused and a bit scared.  
"Anthony, why the hell is there a naked man on your couch?" Mari asked him, giving him the most serious look Anthony had seen thus far. "Is there something you weren't telling us before?" Anthony shook his head, trying to get rid of any sort of fantasies Mari had accidentally put in his brain.  
"No, no, that's not it," Anthony said, in a low voice so that the man couldn't hear well. "I was driving home and I almost hit this guy. He passed out on the street, I panicked! So I brought him home and he fell asleep on the couch. And... Well, he's awake now-"  
"Anthony, calm down," Matt stopped him, holding up a halting hand. "I think... I mean, I have no fucking idea what's going on, but I know you, and if you were lying, I'm sure I could tell." Anthony widened his eyes.  
"You... Do you think I'm lying?" Matt shook his head.  
"I didn't say that. What I'm saying is that whatever the hell happened, I'm pretty sure there's some kind of explanation behind it." Mari nodded, silently agreeing.  
"I mean, we're your friends, Anthony," Mari added. "Whatever sci-fi, voodoo shit is going on, I'm positive that we can fix it." Anthony took a deep breath.  
"Okay, well, first of all," Matt began, "who is he?" Anthony shook his head, feeling a bit helpless that he didn't even know who the man was.  
"I don't know anything about him," Anthony admitted. "To be honest, I'm afraid to even ask." Mari nodded and just rolled her shoulders back.  
"Maybe we should start there," she said. Anthony looked back at the man. Somehow, he had gotten Daisy to warm up to him. The man had a soft smile on his face, as if he were completely content with life. Anthony approached him to start asking simple questions, but the man interrupted him.  
"I like this," he said as he pet Daisy. "What's it called?" Anthony opened his mouth, but didn't know how to respond. Was he asking about the house, his dog, or the blanket?  
"What are you talking about?" Anthony asked.  
"This." The man stared at Daisy.  
"Her name's Daisy. She's a dog." The man mouthed the words.  
"Daisy. Dog." He grinned. "I like dogs named Daisy." Anthony grinned, extremely unsure. Maybe this man was insane. Or simply mentally challenged. He didn't know. "Um... So, can I... I mean, do you mind I ask you what your name is?" The man looked up at Anthony, furrowing his brows, his light blue eyes questioning as his hand stopped petting Daisy.  
"My name...," he repeated. "Like how this dog is named Daisy?" Anthony nodded. The man looked down at the dog and seemed as if he were thinking very hard.  
"It's okay if you don't know it," Anthony cut in. The man looked up, his face changing slightly. "I can, well... I can take you to the police station and they can search for you in their databases." The man looked incredibly confused now. "Do you know what a police station is?" He shook his head. "A database?" Another no. "Do you know anything? Anything at all?" The man looked down. He held his hands at eye length at stared at them.  
"I can do this," he said. As he did so, his hands moved freely in front of him as a deep golden light with specks floated where his fingers were before disappearing. Anthony stared.  
"What the fuck," he said, stepping back. "How are you doing that?" The man looked up, continuing to conjure golden light.  
"I can," was all he said. He didn't seem to be fazed by Anthony's slight terror. To him, it must have just felt like normal. He grinned at Anthony, proud of whatever it was he was doing. Mari and Matt still stood by, watching the situation unfold before them. Matt stared wide eyed as Mari kept rubbing her palms together in some sort of attempt to keep calm.  
"Can you- Stop that, please," Anthony told the man, who, at the command, put his hands down, the light fading completely. Anthony took a step forward again. "Who are you?" The man didn't move.  
"I don't know."


	3. What Do You Want To Be?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, he does need to be called something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next part! xoxo

"Anthony," Matt started in a hushed voice, "what the fuck was that?" Anthony looked back at the man.  
"Do I look like I know?" Anthony whispered back angrily. "This guy is an alien or something."  
"Will you both be quiet?" Mari interrupted. "All we need to do, right now, is figure out how Anthony is going to take care of this guy." Anthony looked to Mari, flabbergasted.  
"Me?" he asked incredulously. "Why do I have to be the one with the crazy golden-light guy?" Mari gave him a harsh look.  
"You brought him in here, you let him sleep on your couch. It was your choice to take him in!" Anthony went to protest, but Mari was right. Unfortunately. Matt's face said she was right, too. Anthony stood straight and walked towards the man.  
"Okay, uh...," he began. "I guess, because you have nowhere else to go, you have to stay here." The man looked around the living room. "Also," the man looked back up, "I need to be able to call you something." The man seemed confused again.  
"Like a name?" he asked. "Like the dog, Daisy?" Anthony nodded.  
"I mean, I have no idea what your name is, so I guess I have to give you one."  
"Do you have a name?" Anthony nodded slowly.  
"My name's Anthony."  
"Can I be named Anthony?" Anthony shook his head, a bit frustrated.  
"No, everyone has a different name." The man nodded. "So, uh, I guess we should get you clothes to wear first." The man pointed unsurely at Anthony's shirt. "Yes, these are clothes." He had the man stand with the blanket around his body, then led him to his own bedroom. "I'll just get a shirt and sweats...," he mumbled to himself. He held up a blue shirt and some grey sweatpants. He turned back to the man, who now seemed interested in the bedspread rather than being clothed. He set the clothes next to him on it. He didn't need to help him get dressed, did he? "Uh...," he said, making the man look up. "Do you know how to put on clothes?" The man shook his head. Anthony sighed. This was going to be more frustrating than he originally thought. He grabbed the grey sweats. "These are like these," he started, holding up the sweats and comparing them to his jeans. "They go on this part of your body." He pointed to his legs. "The big hole goes around here." He pointed to his waist. He then took hold of the blue shirt. "This goes on like what I'm wearing here." He compared it to his shirt. "The two small holes are for these," he pointed to his arms, "and the one between them is for this," he pointed to his head, then to the head hole in the shirt. "Can you put on clothes yourself now?" The man, though he looked completely confused, nodded. Anthony handed him the clothes. "Just... You can come out when you've put on all of the clothes." He left as quickly as he could, cracking the door in case the man didn't know how doors worked. Mari and Matt were still there in the living room, not speaking a word.  
"Anthony, what the hell?" Matt asked, this time at a relatively normal volume. Anthony shrugged.  
"What was I supposed to do?" he asked. "Let the guy walk around naked for the rest of the time?" Matt rolled his eyes.  
"I meant about naming him! He's not a dog or something!" Mari hit his arm   
"What else could he do, Matt?" Mari hissed. Matt shut up then.  
"Okay, you guys," Anthony interrupted. "I know that you think you should stay, but I think I need to handle this on my own first."  
"Are you insane?"  
"No! I'm just saying, he's my responsibility! You said it, I took him in myself!"  
"That doesn't mean you have to take care of him yourself!" Matt cut in.  
"I'm just saying- Okay, I just think it'd be easier on him if there weren't so many people to keep track of at first! Okay?" Mari sighed.  
"Fine," she said, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips. "I mean, I guess you have a point." She pointed at Anthony. "But I swear, if something goes wrong, at any time, you call me or Matt. This isn't going to be easy." Anthony nodded, closing his eyes for a brief moment.  
"Promise." Mari sighed.  
"Come on, Matt, let's go." Mark took hold of Matt's arm and led him back towards the front door, leaving silently.  
"Where are they going?" a voice asked behind Anthony suddenly. Anthony whipped around to see the man, surprisingly, dressed.  
"They just- They had to be somewhere," Anthony lied, shrugging.  
"Oh. I wanted to talk to them." Anthony half-grinned in nervousness.  
"Another time, maybe." He walked towards the man and had him sit down on the couch. "Right now, we're going to look at names " The man nodded before grinning. Anthony pulled his laptop from the table and opened it.  
"What's this called?" the man asked. Anthony typed in his password before waiting for the processor to boot up.  
"It's called a laptop," he said.  
"Is that its name?" Anthony shook his head.  
"No, that's what it is. Laptops don't have names." He started typing in 'baby names' in the Google search box.  
"Why not?"  
"Things that aren't alive don't have names. Laptops don't have names because they aren't alive." The man nodded. Anthony scrolled through the letters of the baby names. "Let's start with something small. What's your favourite letter?" The man stared at him. "Can you read?" He nodded. "That's what words are made of, letters. See these on the screen?" Anthony pointed to the alphabet on his laptop. The man eyed them and nodded again. "Which one do you like the most?" The man looked through the letters.  
"This one," he finally said, jabbing his pointer finger on the screen.  
"That's an 'I'." The man nodded eagerly.  
"I like that one." Anthony clicked on the letter. Bunches of names appeared on the screen at once.  
"Now all you have to do is pick one you like." The man stared at the screen. Anthony looked at the names with him. Isaac? Icarus? Inca? Anthony didn't see many names that suited the man seated next to him.  
"This one," the man said at last, once again pressing his finger. "Ian." Anthony looked at the name, then at the man.  
"How come?" he asked, turning back to click on the name.  
Name: Ian.  
Meaning: Gift from God.


	4. What Does It Do?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian's power... What does it do?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Part! xoxo

A few weeks passed since 'Ian' had been born. He had mostly accommodated to the surroundings of the house and to Anthony, though occasionally he would ask him what something was or how to do something. He could now dress himself and clean himself, though Anthony still didn't trust him around the kitchen. He would still read as often as possible, which included cooking books.  
Both Matt and Mari called or texted once every couple days to check in on Anthony, which didn't bother him as much as one would think. He was glad his friends were worried about him and his new roomate, Ian.  
"Anthony," Ian said one day. Anthony looked up from his phone and looked over at him.  
"What's wrong?" he asked, a bit concerned. Ian held up his hands in front of him, and Anthony had almost forgotten what Ian had done before to freak him out. The deep speckled golden glow flowed across Ian's fingers.  
"Do you know what this does?" he asked. Anthony set down his phone and took a deep breath, trying to keep calm, despite the fact that there was possibly an alien in his living room. Anthony shook his head.  
"Ian, I really don't know," he told him. Ian waved the golden light around, then in larger motions. Though it looked beautiful, it did nothing to their surroundings. Ian stopped. "Ian, how long have you known you can do that?" Ian looked to him.  
"Ever since I was standing out there," he replied. "It was the only thing I knew how to do." Anthony nodded. He sighed and stood, checking his phone.  
"I'm going to make some food, okay?" Ian nodded as Anthony left towards the kitchen. He pulled out a vegetable knife and some carrots, planning on a simple veggie dip dish. He began chopping carrots on the cutting board at he thought about his whole situation.  
Anthony had completely forgotten about the golden light ability Ian had, but the scary part for him was that he had no idea what it did, and neither did Ian. He didn't know if it was destructive or helpful or-  
"Damn it!" Anthony exclaimed, holding his finger over the floor as the knife clattered back onto the cutting board. His finger was bleeding. Not much, but it definitely needed a band-aid. He turned to leave for the bathroom when a figure that had to be Ian bumped into him. "Sorry," he said.  
"What happened?" Ian asked, looking at Anthony's hand. Anthony looked up at him as he held his finger above his heart.  
"Nothing, just accidentally cut my finger on the knife. I'm fine." Anthony moved past him as Ian watched. Ian looked down at his hands.  
"Wait." Anthony stopped to look back at Ian.  
"What?" he asked. "What's wrong, are you okay?" Ian walked towards him and held out his hands, creating the golden dust from them. He took hold of Anthony's injured finger and tried waving the dust across it. It did nothing. "Ian, I don't think-"  
"Wait," Ian stopped Anthony's speech. He now pressed his fingertips on the wound. It seemed at first as if that didn't work either.  
Anthony pulled his hand away to look at it. The cut was still there, but barely visible, like it had been there for at least a week.  
"How did you...," Anthony began, but trailed off as Ian pressed his fingers against the wound again, the golden light simply floating around their hands. Ian held his stance for another fifteen seconds before he let go. Anthony examined his finger. The cut was gone. It was as if Anthony never cut his finger in the first place. "So that's...," Anthony started again, but ended up trailing off on his sentence again.  
"I can heal things," Ian said, the words sounding as casual as someone explaining a game of soccer. "This light heals things." Ian waved his hands around, watching the light go back and forth, but fading as it had nothing to work on. He looked at Anthony. Anthony simple stared.  
"I'm going to finish making dinner." Anthony went back to the kitchen, quickly dialing Mari's number and holding his cell phone to his ear with his shoulder.  
"Hello?" Mari's voice answered.  
"Hey, Mari," Anthony said, being careful to pay attention to what he was doing this time.  
"Anthony. You haven't called me first before." She paused. "Did something happen?"  
"Well... Sort of. Do you remember that weird light Ian made the first time we met him?" Mari hummed approval. "Well, uh... We found out what it does."  
"Oh, God. Is it bad?"  
"No, um... It actually...heals." Mari was silent. "Mari?"  
"Yeah, sorry, I'm just... I'm thinking." She sighed. "So it's not a disastrous kind of thing?"  
"No. But it was really fucking weird to find out."  
"Okay." It went silent for a moment. "Hey, Anthony... Don't you think maybe Matt and I should come over soon?" Anthony bit the inside of his cheek.  
"I don't know...," he said. "I might have to ask Ian first." Mari hummed.  
"That's fine, it's just... Well, I feel as if we're a little bit part of this, too."  
"You are, you are. I was just a little bit... God, I don't fucking know. I'll ask Ian. I'll text you what happens."  
"Alright. Take care of yourself, too, though. I don't want you putting yourself last all the time."  
"Promise."  
"Good. Talk to you later."  
"Bye, Mari." Anthony hung up the phone as he finished cutting up celery. He took some ranch and put some onto a paper plate, along with some celery and carrots before going to hand it to Ian, who was sat on the couch patiently. "Here," he said, handing Ian the plate of food.  
"Thank you, Anthony," Ian thanked, eating the ranch plain.  
"No, dip the veggies in the ranch first." Ian stared until he nodded and did as instructed. "So, Ian...," Ian nodded to insure Anthony he was listening, "do you remember when you were first here and there were two other people that left?" Ian looked up, swallowing a bite.  
"You said I could talk to them another time," Ian said.  
"Right, well, I just talked to one of them, and they said they could both come over if it was okay with you." Ian swallowed another bite and grinned.  
"You mean I get to talk to them?" he asked. Anthony nodded.  
"Yes, as long as it's okay with you." Ian nodded.  
"I really want to talk to them. I never got to before." Anthony nodded and pulled out his phone to message Mari. "What are you doing?"  
"I'm asking them when they want to come over," Anthony explained, typing.  
"How?" Anthony held up his phone.  
"Well, if I have one of these, and they have one of these, then we can talk by sending messages to each other on them." He brought his phone down again and finished the text, sending it off to Mari.  
The next day, Mari and Matt arrived near noon, bringing along the videogame they were going to play last time.  
"We're here!" Mari announced, walking in after Matt, shutting the door behind her. Anthony stood up from the couch along with Ian. Matt grinned as Mari joined his side.  
"So, Ian," Anthony began, first gesturing to Matt, "that's Matt," then gesturing to Mari, "and that's Mari. They were the ones who were here when you first came." Ian studied them both carefully. They simply stood and grinned small, wondering if Ian had an approval system or not.  
"Matt," he said, looking to Matt. He then looked to Mari. "Mari." They nodded as each of their names were said. Ian grinned. "I like Matt and Mari." Mari grinned.  
"Well, Ian, we like you, too," she replied, shifting her weight back and forth. "We're glad you like living here." Ian nodded.  
"I do like living here." Matt nodded, fumbling with the game disc in his hand. Ian pointed at it. "What's that?" Matt looked down and held it up.  
"It's a game," Matt said, waving the case.  
"Like a board game?" Matt shrugged.  
"Kind of. You use a screen instead of a board, and controllers instead of game pieces." Ian seemed completely interested in the game's features.  
"How does it work?" Matt grinned, looking over to Anthony for approval. Anthony nodded, trusting Matt with explaining how an Xbox worked. They both walked towards the TV while Mari stayed behind with Anthony.  
"It looks like he really likes it here," she said. Anthony nodded.  
"I actually...," Anthony , then sighed. "It was kind of hard at first, but over time, I feel like I've known him for longer than a few weeks." Mari nodded.  
"That was how it felt with Matt and I. Once we started hanging out, it was like we'd been friends since Kindergarten." Anthony grinned. "So, uh, what happened? With the... You know, the golden light?" Anthony shrugged.  
"I don't know. I was going to get a band-aid when Ian made me stop. He pressed his fingers on the cut I got from cutting carrots. It was like it never happened." Mari sighed.  
"Jesus. Imagine what the world could do with that kind of power." Anthony chuckled.  
"Well, if the government got hold of it, they'd do whatever they could to harvest it from him." Anthony let out a breath. "I don't know. Healing would be good for the world, but I don't know if I can put Ian through that kind of thing." Mari nodded in agreement.  
"You care that much about him, huh?" she asked.  
"What can I say?" he admitted. "I've become attached to the clueless guy." Anthony looked back.  
"So this makes me jump?" Ian asked, pressing the A button on an Xbox controller.  
"Yeah, and this makes you punch," Matt explained, pointing to the right trigger. Ian pressed it as he looked up at the screen, watching the controller correspond with the character on the screen. His childish grin that came with learning something new brought a warm smile to Anthony's lips.


	5. What Happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthony's in for a gruesome surprise...and a wonderful aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Part! xoxo

"What's that?" Ian asked, looking at the screen that displayed a romantic comedy of sorts. Anthony looked at the screen.  
"They're kissing," he said. "It's like when one person puts their mouth on someone else's to show that they like them." Ian glanced at Anthony before turning back to the screen.  
"So, if I like Daisy, do I kiss her?" Anthony laughed.  
"Well, do you like Daisy as a friend or as someone you want to be with forever?"  
"...Both." Anthony shook his head and turned to Ian.  
"No- I'll explain." Ian looked back. "Say I liked this girl, but as more than a friend, meaning I like her in a romantic way."  
"So you like her, but not in a friendly way?" Anthony nodded.  
"Right. So if I felt like that, I would kiss her." Ian nodded. He thought for a moment.  
"Then what?"  
"Well, I could call her my girlfriend. And she could call me her boyfriend." Ian nodded again. "So, would you kiss Daisy?" Ian had to think for a moment.  
"No," Ian decided on saying, "because I only like Daisy as a friend." Anthony nodded, approving Ian's answer with a chuckle. He checked his phone.  
"Oh, crap," he said. "I'm going to be late for work if I don't leave now," Anthony said, standing. He looked over to Ian. "You remember what to do?" Ian bit his lip.  
"If there's an emergency, call Mari or Matt," he finally said. Anthony nodded.  
"Alright, I'll be back later." Anthony grabbed his jacket and backpack with his work uniform and headed out to his car. Throwing his backpack in the passenger's seat, he started the car and set off to work.  
Work was typical for Anthony. Some asked why he was later than usual. He didn't want to say he was taking care of someone, so he answered simply by saying that he didn't sleep well.  
The drive home was peaceful enough for Anthony.  
"Shit!" he yelled, his car stopping to a halt in the middle of the road. Someone had been standing there, holding up both hands. Anthony got a strange feeling of nostalgia from the first time he saw Ian, except this person was clothed and obviously wide-awake.  
"Help me, please!" they begged, seeming to have a male voice, deep and rough. Anthony got out of his car with his keys and rushed over to the man, who seemed frantic.  
"What happened, what's wrong-" Anthony began to question, but was met with a swift punch to his jaw from the man's large fist. His breathing was now shallow as he hit the ground hard. The man sent a kick to his stomach, then flipped him over to search his jacket pockets, eventually acquiring his wallet. Anthony only heard the shuffling of paper before the sound of his wallet hitting the ground next to him. The man's rushed footsteps faded away as Anthony gained his vision back from the initial shock of being punched. Thank God the man didn't take his car keys, or else he'd be in more trouble than he'd already endured. He stood slowly, trying not to wince at the sharp pain in his gut. He stumbled back to his car and slowly sat behind the wheel, looking at himself in the rearview mirror.  
"Son of a fucking bitch," he cursed as he saw the bruise on his jaw already start to form, and he was sure there would be one on his stomach. He sighed as he started his car again and made the rest of the trip home in pain.  
"Ian...," Anthony called, grunting as he shut the front door. "I'm back."  
"Anthony!" came back Ian's voice, which sounded much more enthusiastic than usual. Anthony nodded.  
"It's me-" he began to assure, but was cut off by something soft joined by a bright golden light. The softness was pressed lightly to his lips, and it hit him that someone was kissing him.  
It then hit him that it could only be one person kissing him.  
Anthony made a strangled noise against the pair of lips that must've been Ian's, but he didn't pull away. The softness of Ian's hand on his jaw slowly took away the pain of the punch. His other hand was situated on Anthony's side, which took away the ache of the kick. He sighed. It felt so nice.  
Once the pain had gone away, Anthony felt completely content.


	6. What Mistake?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthony thinks he's made a terrible mistake...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Part! xoxo

"So, I get to go to the grocery store with you?" Ian asked as he tied the laces of his sneakers. Anthony nodded.  
"I don't have much extra money to spend, though," he said as he slipped on his jacket, "because of the man in the street." Ian nodded in acknowledgment.  
"I feel bad that that happened to you... I don't know why. It didn't happen to me."  
"That's called sympathy." Anthony grabbed his keys. "Now, if it had and you felt bad, that would be empathy." Ian gave a small hum of realisation as he followed Anthony outside to the garage where his car was.  
"Wait, before we leave," Ian said suddenly, turning Anthony around. As Anthony faced him, Ian reached up to kiss him on the lips quickly before he headed towards the passenger's seat. Anthony was stunned for a moment as the kiss registered in his mind before he shook his head and took his place in the driver's seat. As he started the car, he glanced over at Ian, who seemed a bit overly proud of himself.  
"You're smiling big," Anthony said casually, though his brain was currently overriding with a few different emotions. Ian nodded.  
"I'm just happy that I can tell you I like you as more than a friend," Ian answered simply. Anthony chuckled despite being nervous. So that's what this was about.  
"I was wondering why you...," Anthony began, then felt his face get a little too hot for his taste. "You know." Ian looked over as the car started.  
"So, do I call you my girlfriend now?" he asked curiously. Anthony laughed as he backed out onto the street.  
"Well, no," he explained. "Because I'm a boy, I'd be the boyfriend."  
"So I'm the girlfriend?"  
"No, you'd be the boyfriend, too." Ian nodded, understanding most of what he said. Anthony grinned smugly to himself like he had just gotten his dream house for free. He knew his face was hot now, but he didn't have the heart to turn Ian down on the relationship he assumed they were forming. Ian was still new to the world, still like a small child. For some reason, Anthony just wanted to say that Ian wasn't ready for that step yet.  
"Is this the grocery store?" Ian asked as they parked. His face was pressed against the window in anticipation. Anthony nodded as he helped Ian out of the car.  
"This is your first time outside the house, though," he warned. "I need you to stay close so I don't lose you." Ian nodded. He looked at Anthony's hand, then his until he put two and two together, grabbing Anthony's hand with his own. "Ian, are you okay?" Anthony asked. Ian nodded.  
"I saw them do this in the movie," Ian explained, "but I also thought it would be good for you to keep me with you." Anthony looked at their intertwined hands for a moment. He nodded, taking a breath as they walked into the store.  
"Okay, so we need bread and juice," Anthony said, checking the list on his phone. Ian took in his surroundings, the experience exciting and new for him. "We don't need much, actually. You didn't need to come and help me anyways."  
"I'm happy I came to help, though," Ian said, confused a little. "It feels nice." Anthony nodded as they walked towards the juices, surveying the different types.  
"Which one did you say you liked?" Ian looked around for a moment before he spotted the jug of his favourite beverage he had tried so far. He crouched down and pointed, dragging Anthony along with him.  
"Right, apple juice," Anthony nodded. "Just get that one. Can you carry it?" Ian nodded, taking his free hand and grabbing the jug by its handle before standing with Anthony, the juice rocking back and forth from the weight.  
"What else did we need?" Ian asked curiously as they walked down the aisle, still hand in hand. Each person they passed seemed to give an odd look their way, but they didn't mind. Ian followed Anthony into the bread aisle, where various wheat, white, and whole grain breads were sorted semi-neatly on the shelves.  
"We just need some bread and we'll be good-" Anthony began to say until a squeal came from beside him. He looked over and down to see a little girl who couldn't be older than five or six sitting on the ground as she held her knee. Anthony knelt down, worried slightly. "Are you okay?" he asked, though obviously she wasn't. She shook her small head, blonde hair whipping around her small face.  
"I fell," she said, sobbing a bit. Ian knelt down and saw the scrape on her knee, red blood dripping a little bit.  
"I can help," Ian said quietly as Anthony sighed.  
"Well, let's go find- Ian, what are you doing?!" Anthony yelled mid-sentence, looking at Ian in disbelief. Ian waved his hands at the little girl's scrape, the golden light radiating automatically. "Ian!" Ian ignored Anthony's protests as he pressed his hands onto the girl's knee. She didn't say a word, and Anthony didn't move to stop him. He was tentative to interrupt a process that helped such a little girl. Once Ian lifted his hands, the scrape was gone.  
"Thank you...," she said quietly and Anthony dragged Ian up to his feet, making him drop the juice in his hands. Anthony heard the whispered comments from the people they passed by as they left, hating himself for not telling Ian to keep his healing crap at a minimum.  
"God fucking damn it!" Anthony yelled in the car as Ian sat down on the passenger's seat. Anthony slammed his own door, dropping his hands on the steering wheel harshly. "Why did you do that?" he asked Ian slowly and as calmly as he could.  
"I could help," Ian said softly. "I wanted to help."  
"By causing a riot in the store?" Anthony shook his head. He needed to calm down before he had a panic attack. "Please, Ian... In public, you can't do...whatever that healing thing is."  
"But why-"  
"Because...people were freaked out. We were recorded on the security camera."  
"What's a security-”  
"Ian!" Anthony burst suddenly. Ian cowered a bit. "I'm sorry, I can't explain it, I'm too panicky to do anything but drive home right now." Ian nodded.  
The rest of the ride was silent.


	7. Where Did You Go?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian's in for a horrid time...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Part! xoxo

Anthony lay in his bed that night, thinking. Everything was hitting him like a bus, one after the other in waves.  
First of all, why the fuck did Ian kiss him? Actually, no. Why did he kiss Ian back? He groaned and rubbed his eyes, but he wasn't tired or relaxed enough to sleep through the drama. He brushed off the first encounter by convincing himself it was the relief of pain he experienced during the kiss.  
The second one, however, he found impossible to catagorise into anything. He knew Ian was just going off of what he saw on the TV, but he had felt so incredibly smug after it had happened. Almost as if Ian kissing him were something he felt he didn't deserve wholly. He even corrected Ian's information about the relationship, instead of saying it wasn't real.  
He must just be letting Ian experience it firsthand. Yeah, that had to be it.  
Now, holding hands in the store wasn't too bad of a plan. Ian's hand was soft for him, a bit warm to the touch and almost completely excreting energy daily. But that little girl. God. Anthony sighed, thinking back to the moment. He hadn't stopped Ian despite the situation being crucial to Ian's survival in the real world. He wondered what that little girl's name was. What she told her parents when he and Ian left so quickly. What she would remember ten years later, and that's even if she remembered anything. There had been security cameras facing them, recording every last speck of odd that could be seen.  
Shit, what was he going to do? He should just sleep it off. Yes, sleep would help him. He could relax and think about it tomorrow. Fix everything tomorrow.  
“Shit,” he cursed as he woke up suddenly. The sunlight shone through his curtains, blinding him momentarily. Was it morning already? Anthony groaned and pushed himself out of the bed, sighing as he sat on the edge of the mattress and resting his tired face in his hands. The fact that he had to solve this problem hit him like a smack to the face. He immediately regretted taking Ian out of the house. He regretted giving Ian a name.  
He even regretted picking up Ian off of the concrete on his street. This was just too much. He stood and stretched. Not bothering to dress himself properly, since he wasn’t planning on leaving the house so soon after the incident, he simply walked out of his room and sat down on his couch. Ian wasn’t awake yet from the guest bedroom. It almost felt like home. Like Ian had never existed in the first place.  
It felt almost like his life was still completely normal. He grinned a little at the silence. He remembered Ian then, and his smile faded. Standing again, he walked to the guest bedroom and knocked on the door.  
“Ian, are you up?” he asked through the door. No answer. Must still be asleep, he thought to himself. He opened the door slowly and was met with a silence like none he had heard before. “Ian?” He walked into the room fully and towards the bed. He ripped off the sheets when he saw them flat. “Ian?!” he yelled. He ran back into the hallway. “Ian!”  
“What?” a voice. small and feeble, came back through the room. Anthony ran back into the room and spotted the closet door, slightly cracked. He pulled it open to see Ian sitting there in the clothes he wore yesterday, knees pulled in as he looked up. His face was stained with tears, eyes bloodshot and puffy. Anthony’s heart dropped to his empty stomach, slowly digesting the feeling of worry.  
“Ian, what...,” he began, but stopped. “Are you okay?” Ian shrugged as he stood.  
“I don’t know,” Ian replied. “I just started crying as soon as I woke up.”  
“Why?”  
“I don’t know.” Anthony looked down at his bare feet.  
“Maybe it was about yesterday,” Anthony said to the floor. “You know, about the...healing.” Ian nodded.  
“Maybe.” Anthony looked back up.  
“I’m sorry for snapping at you in the car,” he apologised. “I shouldn’t have.” Ian shook his head.  
“I think it’s okay.” Anthony sighed and pulled Ian into a hug. All regrets of the morning fell into an abyss he wouldn’t look down again. Ian gently hugged back, setting his head on Anthony’s shoulder. He pulled away and, very slowly, kissed Anthony’s lips. Anthony kept his eyes open before they closed and he kissed Ian back. He felt a warmth on his waist, and as he pulled away, he saw Ian’s hands glowed golden for a moment before it faded into the air. He felt almost happy that he may have caused it, causing a small grin, barely detectable, to form on his lips. Ian smiled and chuckled, walking past Anthony into the living room. Anthony watched Ian’s socked feet press against the carpet, and he grinned properly now. He walked into the living room, sitting next to Ian on the couch.  
“Do you want to do something today?” he asked, playing with his thumbs like a nervous girl meeting someone she liked. Ian shrugged.  
“I don’t know if there’s anything I want-” Ian began, but was interrupted by a banging against the front door. Anthony stood quickly, his fighting instinct kicking in. Another loud crack and the door burst open. Men in police uniforms and suits ran through the house towards the both of them.  
“What the fuck-” Anthony began to exclaim until one pushed him out of the way.  
“Under the FBI’s consent from the government, we’ll have to be taking him,” he told Anthony as he flashed his FBI badge, his other hand by what must’ve been a holster for his issued firearm.  
“What the fuck?” Anthony yelled as he watched Ian scream and try to fight off. Anthony tried to move towards Ian, but two more men joined the one in front of him, hands on their gun holster. “No! You can’t fucking take him!” Anthony pushed the men over with brute force, running at the men who were now rushing out of the house towards the black vehicle. “You motherfuckers!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. Ian seemed to have passed out as they stuffed him into the car. The men he had knocked over tackled him from behind, supposedly tasing him, judging by the sharp electrocuting feeling in his side. He yelled in pain as he fell to the ground, watching the car become blurry as it drove off. The man who had talked before walked in front of him, squatting.  
“Investigative detectives will be here soon to take you to the location of the man you were with,” he explained, his voice fading in and out in Anthony’s ears. “Until then, the FBI advises you to stay in your home until further instruction. Do you understand?” Anthony struggled to nod as he jerked on the ground, electrocution still running across his body.  
“Bite me,” he said finally. The man stood and nodded to the other two, who helped him pick Anthony up and carry him inside before setting him on the couch.  
“Expect something from us soon,” he told Anthony before walking out and closing the front door behind him. Anthony, broken, tired, and alone, lay there, thinking of the different ways he could kill those men before he eventually found himself uncomfortably unconscious with the thoughts of Ian in his mind.


	8. Where Am I?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthony is being taken somewhere...interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Part! xoxo

Anthony woke up to a knock on the front door. He jolted from his position on the couch as everything that had happened most likely an hour ago struck him like lightning. The knock continued and Anthony stood up, rushing to the front door. What had that FBI agent said?  
“Anthony Padilla?” were the first words he heard when he opened a door. A woman stood there, suit, sunglasses and all as she held up her own FBI badge in his eyesight. He didn’t respond. “Are you Anthony Padilla?” He blinked and nodded. “I’ll have to ask you to come with me. We’ll be taking you to the disclosed location of the man that was taken into custody yesterday.” She eyed his clothing. “I would advise you to also get dressed.” Anthony took a moment to process all the information before he nodded slowly on auto and turned to go to his bedroom and slip into jeans, a jacket, and shoes. The FBI agent stood waiting before he followed her out to the sleek black car parked in front of his house. She opened the door for him, where he slowly sat down on the leather-like padding that encompassed the backseat. She joined him on the other side and the car started moving.  
Anthony’s mind was moving a million miles a minute. He couldn’t think straight. One moment, his brain was concentrated on not panicking, and the next he felt a full-fledged rage against the men who took Ian. He didn’t know what to think or what to do, but it seemed all he could do was wait. The drive to the enclosed location was completely silent, unlike the comforting kind he found when he spent time with Ian. He stared out the window at passing trees, and then at his hands, once in a while glancing at the woman seated next to him.  
The car stopped abruptly and the woman exited the car as a man, who had to be another FBI agent, opened his own door. He examined the building in front of him. His mind was purely focused on simple details and apathy, yet he wasn’t sure why. His brain had gone into sleep mode. The building was large, like a laboratory. It was surrounded by thick trees, which was probably why the drive there, he realised, was roughly two hours. It was all he saw. His brain went into hibernate. It almost completely shut off, but the jolt of a voice brought him back into reality.  
“Mr. Padilla,” a man said, greeting him. He was dressed in a lab coat, the typical white ones of doctors and such. He didn’t seem the hostile or stone-faced, but almost as if he were cheery. “I’m glad to meet you.”  
“Where the fuck am I?” Anthony asked, his anger suddenly making an appearance.  
“Relax,” the man assured, putting up his hands in defense. “My name’s Dr. Moattin, I’m just one of the top scientists here.” Anthony nodded.  
“Where’s Ian?”  
“Whom?”  
“Ian! The guy you took away with your fucking brute police force!” Dr. Moattin held up his hands more so now, genuinely scared. A couple security guards made a cautionary move towards their weapons, but Dr. Moattin signalled them to stay at ease.  
“Please, Mr. Padilla-”  
“Can you just- Call me Anthony, and I want Ian back!” Dr. Moattin nodded.  
“We can allow you to see him. He’s been put in a room for observation.” Anthony scoffed.  
“Observat- He’s not a monkey!”  
“Please.” Anthony stared at him. “Let me just show you through the facility.” Anthony had to take a deep breath. Then one more. How the hell was he supposed to handle this? Was he still regretting taking Ian into his custody? Maybe. He mentally smacked himself.  
God, no, he wouldn’t have been able to just leave Ian in the street, not now that...everything had happened.  
“Fine,” Anthony agreed. Dr. Moattin nodded slowly at the positive response.  
“Follow me,” he said, leading Anthony into the building. He followed tentatively. “I suppose, while we’re walking...I could explain what this facility is for.”  
“It’s like the X-Files, right?” Anthony asked. “You know, strange, alienistic crap?”  
“You...could say that. We specify it as specialised talents. Sometimes they come from nowhere, and sometimes there’s a reason.” Anthony eyed the white-lab-coat people with papers in their hands and bottles of strange substances that Anthony didn’t want to know what they held. “This facility was created to harness, if you will, these talents in order to find a way to keep them from getting out of control.”  
“Ian wasn’t out of control,” Anthony mumbled.  
“Yes, but the job here is to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Dr. Moattin explained. “It’s simply a cautionary procedure.”  
“How many people are here? In the rooms?”  
“So far, currently, roughly anywhere from ten to twenty, depending on their release date.”  
“Release date?”  
“When we’ve run the proper amount of tests to insure that they won’t abuse the talent they’ve acquired, and that it won’t progress more than it has, they sign papers and are allowed to lead a normal life contrary to the one here.”  
“So what the hell happens to the ones who abuse or progress their ‘talent’?”  
“They...” Dr. Moattin paused. “To put it simply...we have to...somehow extract the cells that hold the DNA that control the talent. In some cases, it’s not successful and the patient dies, but it's not too common an occurrence.” Dr. Moattin looked down. Anthony scoffed, laughing nervously.  
“So...what? Are you just going to do surgery on Ian if he starts progressing it too much?”  
“That may not be the case, Anthony. I’ve seen him in action, and so far there have been no signs of abuse or excessive progression of any kind.” Dr. Moattin raised his eyebrows. “Actually, to be honest, his talent is well commended. It’s the first time genetic healing has been introduced here.” Anthony nodded. He had nothing more to say. There was nothing he could say to counter the conversation. Dr. Moattin led him to an elevator, where they stepped inside and went down two floors. “Your, uh... Ian is down this hallway,” Dr. Moattin said, walking straight forward. They turned left, and there Ian was.  
“Ian!” Anthony yelled running up to the glass. Ian sat there, sodden-faced and confused. “Ian!” Anthony knocked on the glass.  
“It’s a thick, one-way glass, Anthony,” Dr. Moattin told him. “Ian can’t see nor hear you.” Anthony’s hand slid slightly down the glass wall, squeaking as it did so.  
“I want to see him,” Anthony said without turning away. “And not through this fucking glass. In person.” Dr. Moattin gave a short sigh.  
“You’re going to have to be questioned first, I’m afraid,” Dr. Moattin replied. “There are inspectors waiting to talk to you in the interrogation room.” Anthony turned back.  
“Ian first.” Dr. Moattin shook his head.  
“I can’t-”  
“Then they won’t get anything out of me. Because if they have to question me, then there must be something they need from my head, and they can’t have it unless I see Ian first.” Dr. Moattin.  
“You know, it’s funny,” he said, “Ian said that same thing about you, too.”  
“Then let me see him.” Dr. Moattin nodded.  
“I’ll speak with the FBI firsthand to make sure it’s okay.” He left Anthony standing there as he walked off. Anthony turned back to look at Ian, who now walked in mindless circles. Scared and confused, he began to cry.  
“Anthony,” he said, looking down at his hands as he dropped to sitting on the floor again. His hands glowed a golden colour, and Anthony knew that it was because of him that it happened in the first place.


	9. What Am I?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthony is something to them... But what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Part! xoxo

“They said you’re allowed to see him,” Dr. Moattin said when he returned. Anthony face lit up for almost a split second. “On one condition.” His face dropped slightly. “You have to agree to all conditions the government puts on you.”  
“That’s bullshit!” Anthony yelled, causing several doctors to look at him. “That’s not even a fair trade!”  
“You can choose to see him now, or you can wait the months it will take for him to be relieved of his custody here.” Anthony closed his eyes. “It’s your choice, Anthony. Not mine.” Anthony sighed. His head was spinning again.  
“Fine,” he said after a few moments. “I’ll see him now.” Dr. Moattin.  
“Follow me.” He walked off towards another hallway, where Anthony followed tentatively. A door was now in front of him. “He’s just inside. I don’t know how much time you have, but I’d suggest you make it count.” Dr. Moattin leaned forward and punched in a six-digit number before a loud burst of air made the glass door open. Ian turned at the noise as Anthony walked in.  
“Anthony!” he yelled, running at him. Anthony almost smiled, but his head was somewhere else. Ian hugged him and gripped the back of his shirt tight. “Where am I?” he asked.  
“It’s...,” Anthony said, but stopped himself. There would be no use in explaining. “You’re okay.” Anthony hugged him back tightly, setting his head on his shoulder.  
“How did you get here?”  
“They brought me here. Same guys that took you.” Ian pulled away.  
“I want to go home,” he said, looking behind Anthony at the place where the door ought to have been, though it just looked like a wall now.  
“I’m here to take you home, Ian,” Anthony said, putting his hands on Ian’s shoulders, assuring eyes directed at him. “You’re going to be fine.”  
“But what if they don’t let me out? What if they just put you in here with me?” Anthony shook his head.  
“They won’t, trust me. Just relax. I’m going to get you out of here, I’m going to try.” Ian closed his eyes and nodded. Anthony simply hugged him, as if there were anything else he could do then. He knew there was probably plenty he could tell Ian, but would Ian even understand? He felt the warmth of Ian’s hands on his back, and he grinned a little bit. Ian stepped back. “Ian?” Anthony asked, looking at him. “What’s wrong?”  
“Nothing,” Ian said, shaking his head tiredly. Ian rubbed his eyes with his palms and reached to kiss Anthony’s cheek softly. It felt almost as if Ian were claiming him, something he wasn’t used to, and something Ian hadn’t done before.  
“Anthony?” Dr. Moattin said behind him suddenly. Anthony turned to see Dr. Moattin and two security guards standing behind him. “They want to see you now.” Anthony nodded and looked back at Ian.  
“Wait, whom?” Ian asked unsurely, looked between Anthony and the doctor with a confused expression.  
“Ian, I have to go,” Anthony told him, walking away and regretting every step. Ian shook his head as he walked after Anthony. Anthony exited the room. Ian’s hands pressed against the closed door as Anthony watched him. He sank to his knees, broken inside and crying, hitting his fists against the glass.  
“This way, Mr. Padilla,” one of the guards said, looking at him expectantly. Anthony nodded, his head empty as he followed the guard without a second thought. He went left, two rights, and then straight forward until he was led into a room with one table, one chair and a camera on the opposite side.  
“Sit,” one guard said as he closed the door behind Anthony and locked it.  
“So you’re just going to lock me in here, then?” Anthony asked no one in particular. When no one responded, he shook his head and took his seat.  
“Please state your first and last name, age, and gender from birth into the camera,” a fairly female voiced from behind him. This had to be some kind of special interrogation.  
“Fine,” Anthony said, then eyed the camera. “I’m Anthony Padilla, I’m 26, and I was born male.”  
“State your city, state, and country.” Anthony rolled his eyes.  
“Sacramento, California, America.” He could almost hear the approval behind the wall.  
“How did you come into contact with the man you had just seen?”  
“I almost hit him with my car. He was in the middle of the street, and I took him in.”  
“Who else knows about him?” Anthony shut his eyes. He could lie, or he could risk his two best friends’ lives.  
“I’m not going to answer that,” he told the voice.  
“I’d advise you to answer the question.” Anthony hit his hands flat on the table.  
“I’m fucking sick of people advising me to do shit!”  
“Fine. Can you state the date you experienced the talent?”  
“The...talent, what?”  
“The golden glow that came from the man.” Anthony sighed and leaned back in the metal chair.  
“His name’s Ian, okay? And it happened as soon as I met him. He fell asleep on my couch and he woke up and it happened.”  
“What does the glow do?”  
“It heals. I don’t know. I cut myself on accident once and he healed it. It was like it wasn’t even there.” He looked at the camera and pointed to his jaw. “There should be this huge bruise on my chin right now, but it’s not because Ian healed it.”  
“Has he performed this on anyone else?” Anthony nodded.  
“Yeah, this little girl at the grocery store... This is why he’s here, isn't it? Because you have footage of that shit?”  
“That’s correct.” There was a pause. “Can you now briefly explain the relationship between you and...Ian?” Anthony then paused. Of course they were going to ask this kind of fucking question.  
“I’m not comfortable answering that,” Anthony informed shifting in his chair.  
“Mr. Padilla, it will be all the better if we knew how well-acquainted you were with him.” Anthony put his head in his hands.  
“He’s like my best friend, I don’t know,” he said, feeling his face get hot ever-so-slightly. “We kissed a couple times, but...that was it.”  
“Thank you. Now, if we could take a step back, we’ll ask again if anyone else knows about him.”  
“Can... Are they going to be brought here?”  
“It will depend on their relationship with Ian.” Anthony let his head fall onto the table for a moment.  
“Mari Takahashi and Matt Sohinki,” he said at last. “They’ve only met him twice.”  
“Have they experienced the golden glow firsthand?” Anthony shook his head.  
“No, I only told them about it. They saw, but they never used it.”  
“Thank you. That’s all we need from you now.” Anthony nodded, relieved that there were no more questions at the moment. “We’ll be having you stay here for the time being.” Anthony looked up, confused.  
“Wait, why-”  
“We already have a room set up for your liking.”  
“This is bullshit-” The door opened to his left and two guards came towards him. He stepped back, the metal chair falling to its side. The guards’ hands went to their tasers. Anthony stood there, unsure of what to do. He looked to the door. What was the use of running for it? With his luck, there’d be ten more guards waiting to neutralise him in a second. He sighed. Maybe he could do it. He took off running past the guards, pushing them. It made no difference as they grabbed his arms and kept him in place. He pushed and kicked. He tried to bite and fight back, but it did nothing. His right arm yanked free and he pressed his open palm on the left guard’s face.  
Wait. His hands. They were glowing bright. Red, flowing dust surrounded the guard’s face as he screamed in pain. Anthony yanked free of the other guard and looked at the guard’s broken face. He could harm things, he could break living things down to nothing. Whereas Ian could build things to their highest state. In his mind, it was too cliché to be completely true, and it shouldn’t have been that easy to get through the troubles. For Anthony, there had to be something else, though that may not have been the case anyways. He pushed at the other guard and pressed both hands against his face, causing scratches and cuts to form randomly around his cheeks and eyes. Anthony pulled back and looked to the door to what may have been some kind of freedom. He ran towards it and pushed through the large amount of doctors that stood there.  
“Anthony!” he heard a familiar voice yell his way. “Please stop!” Anthony turned to see Dr. Moattin standing as calmly as possible, although his face held the largest amount of terrified one could have.  
“I want to leave!” Anthony yelled back, his hands ceasing their glow as he calmed a bit. Dr. Moattin took the chances he had and walked towards Anthony.  
“I... I dont know if I have authority to release you, now that...,” Dr Moattin stated, glancing at Anthony’s hands.  
“I don’t care. Let me out, and let Ian out.” Dr. Moattin.  
“Anthony, I respect your wishes, but there’s very little I can do for you. For Ian, I can maybe get him to leave, but this...”  
“Do something. Do anything. Call whomever the fuck you have to, or I swear, you will regret your choices.” What the hell was he saying? How did he even think to speak like this?  
“I... I’ll try. Okay. I’ll just be...going to the communications room.”  
“I’m coming with you.” Dr. Moattin nodded small as he walked towards the hall. Other doctors stood and stared, as well as guards. They didn’t move, as if Dr. Moattin had given them a silent signal to stand down. They walked right and straight into a room with a number of screens, keyboards, and phones. It looked more like a security office than anything to Anthony, but if this was what Dr. Moattin said it was, then Anthony would have to trust him.  
“Top floor, please,” Dr. Moattin said into one phone’s speaker. The phone rang twice before a man answered.  
“Yes?” he asked.  
“Sir, there’s a Mr. Anthony Padilla requesting release for himself and Subject 21,” he spoke.  
“21? Isn’t that the one that came in yesterday?” The man chuckled. “Is Mr. Padilla there with you?”  
“Yes, sir.”  
“You know, I’ve told you not to call me ‘sir’.” He paused. “Hello, Mr. Padilla. My name is Dr. Malel.”  
“I don’t care who you are,” Anthony cut in.  
“Relax. Why do you want Subject 21 to be released?” Anthony closed his eyes, annoyed.  
“His name’s Ian. I need him to be let out. He doesn’t deserve to fucking be here, and neither do I.”  
“Alright, I see your concern. You know, Ian, as you call him, did his first test very well. We may have released him after only a month.” Anthony heard movements of a chair over the line. “You, however. I didn’t even know you had a talent.”  
“Yeah, well, neither did I.” Dr. Malel sighed.  
“It’s destructive,” he stated clearly, his voice becoming more serious. “We may be able to insure release of Ian, but for you, it may not be the same.”  
“What... What the fuck are you saying?”  
“You are our new subject.”


	10. Where Are You Going?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthony has to face a decision... But which one?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next To Last Part! xoxo

Anthony put his head in his hands. This felt like a bad argument with a teen and their parents. They know their parents are right, but they still want to fight back. He couldn’t win, there was no way.  
“I’m not a fucking test subject,” Anthony said through gritted teeth.  
“I didn’t say that,” Dr. Malel said. “It’s not the name of each person, but what they do. We don’t do tests on you, but we do give you tests to do.”  
“I’m not doing any of your fucking tests.” Dr. Malel sighed, seemingly frustrated.  
“We can put you through surgery to take away your talent, but there’s no guarantee that you’ll live to see the next day.” Anthony paused for a moment. He considered it in his mind.  
"No," he said firmly, shaking his head. "No, I can't do that."  
"Then take my advice," Dr. Malel said. "Stay here. Let Ian prove that he can handle himself. And...," Dr. Malel paused, "maybe one day you'll join him in the real world."  
Anthony shook his head. All of this? It was bullshit to him. He could handle himself, couldn't he? He looked down at his hands, the red glow emitting from them, though it was less now.  
No. It seemed whatever he touched would break.  
And if he touched Ian, he was afraid he'd break him, too.  
"Turn off the phone," Anthony said quietly to Dr. Moattin, who had still been standing by patiently, keeping guards at bay. Dr. Moattin pressed a button and the call ended. "Put me in a room."  
"What?" Dr. Moattin asked, confused and still a bit shaken up.  
"Now!" Anthony yelled before Dr. Moattin jumped and nodded, slowly walking and leading him out of the communications room.  
“We need a room for Anthony Padilla,” Dr. Moattin said to a few doctors standing by, who nodded and started walking down the hallway, footsteps click-clacking against the white tiled floor. Anthony followed them, standing in the middle of four or five doctors as he was escorted to an empty white room. Dr. Moattin opened the door with its six-digit code and let Anthony take a few steps inside before he closed the door. Anthony stood ground in the room, looking at the pure white floor.  
He screamed. He tugged at his hair and dropped to his knees, lungs gasping for air as he took a deep breath in and screamed again. He was stupid. A fucking idiot in his opinion. If he had just gone to the grocery store himself. If they had just gone to another aisle. If he had just stopped Ian...  
No, fuck, this wasn’t Ian’s fault. It was his, all his, and he hated himself for it.  
A number of days passed since then. Anthony had been put through three tests. He screamed at himself everyday. He hit the glass, demanding to be let out, then told himself that he wanted to be put in this cage and sat on the floor, staring at his reflection in the one-way glass. He wondered if he would ever be let out. If they would even consider it.  
His time had hit one month. Ian had to have been let out by now, hadn’t he? Dr. Malel had said that one month and Ian could be let free. And not him.  
“Anthony?” a voice said beside him. The door was open and Dr. Moattin was standing there, clipboard in hand and now glasses hanging from his lab coat. “We’re ready for your test today.” Anthony didn’t respond. He just stood and followed Dr. Moattin out of the room, door hissing closed behind him. He had been silent for the past few days, barely breathing or moving. He was stoic at the least, but he didn’t care. He was in hell.  
“Mr. Padilla,” another doctor greeted him as she opened the door to a testing room he hadn’t seen before.  
“Today will be a bit...different,” Dr. Moattin warned before closing the door behind Anthony. It was grey and white in the room, lights. There was another door on the other side, unopened. Anthony stared at it. He willed it to open. The door handle turned and swung inwards. A silhouette stepped through.  
“Anthony,” a voice said, familiarity surrounding its tone. Anthony straightened ever-so-slightly at it. The door closed and the room became darker again, only dim light. As if sensing the darkness, a light flipped on.  
“Ian,” Anthony found himself saying as he saw the figure that stood there. Ian was planted on his feet, still wearing the same clothes he had been wearing since he was taken. Ian walked forward a few steps.  
“It’s nice to see you again,” Ian said quietly. Anthony nodded, looking down at his worn sneakers. “How are you?”  
“I’m fine,” Anthony replied. “How are you?”  
“I...,” Ian rubbed his hands together, “I get let out today.” Anthony looked up. He almost grinned. Almost.  
“That’s great.” Ian nodded.  
“It’s just... I don’t want to leave without you helping me.” Anthony shook his head.  
“I’m not leaving for a while.” Ian nodded again.  
“I know. I tried to tell them to let you go with me, but they didn’t listen.”  
“You’ll be fine.” Ian shook his head.  
“No. I won’t. I know that.” Ian took a couple more steps forward until he was face to face with Anthony. “Anthony, I need you to help me.” Anthony shook his head, trying to step back, but Ian’s firm hands on his shoulders stopped him.  
“Ian, I can’t. There’s nothing I can say that’ll make them change their minds.” Ian shook his head. He looked broken. As broken as the time Anthony left his room for interrogation at the start of all this. He pulled Anthony close and hugged him. The warm feeling of Ian’s hands moving from his shoulders to around his figure brought a content feeling to Anthony’s mind. He didn’t hug back, but brought up his hands behind Ian’s back. They glowed, but not red. They glowed golden, the same as Ian’s.  
“Ian...,” Anthony said, pulling back. He held up his hands. “Mine were red before.” He looked to Ian. “Have yours been red before?” Ian shook his head side to side slowly.  
“No.” Anthony dropped his hands. It was just him. He was the corrupted one. He was the broken one. He was the bad one.  
“Ian...,” Anthony said, then paused for a moment. “Ian, I-” The door opened behind him.  
“That’ll be all for testing today, Anthony,” Dr. Moattin’s voice interrupted. “You’ll have to go back to your room.” He gave a small nod to Ian. Anthony’s shoulders slumped again as he walked backwards sluggishly.  
“I’ll see you when you get out,” Ian told him as his own door opened, but this time to freedom. Anthony looked back as Ian turned to walk away.  
“Ian, I just...,” he said, but when Ian’s confused and blank face glanced his way, his words caught in his throat again. “I...”  
“Anthony,” Ian said, stopping Anthony’s tracks again. “I know.” Ian left the room. Anthony looked at his shoes and didn’t say anything. He followed Dr. Moattin back to his room, where he was locked inside again. He sat down on the floor and stared at his reflection like he had been doing, wondering if his life was a mistake or not. If he was a mistake.


	11. What's Your Name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthony has to face a great event that he didn't know was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last Part! (sadly) I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope you enjoy reading this last part! xoxo

Another month gone by. Eight more tests. Anthony hadn’t spoken since he last saw Ian. He hadn’t moved unless told to. He hadn’t done anything, and he didn’t want to. He heard the door to his room open, almost as if on schedule.  
“It’s time, Anthony,” Dr. Moattin’s voice said. Anthony stood and followed Dr. Moattin out of the room and down the left of the hallway. He walked stiffly, eyes wavering from the tiled floor to the various doctors and their various scientific instruments Anthony couldn’t name. They walked towards an elevator, then inside. Dr. Moattin leaned towards the buttons and pressed to go up two floors, keeping a neat stature as he glanced at Anthony, an almost pleased look on his face. Anthony found it in him to speak.  
“Where are we going?” he asked. He felt a sense of familiarity surround him.  
“You’ll see,” was all Dr. Moattin told him. The elevator doors opened. Anthony recognised this hallway.  
“Where are we?” Anthony asked, his voice holding more demand and feeling than it had for months. Dr. Moattin walked towards a desk.  
“We’re letting you out,” Dr. Moattin grinned, handing him a release form on crisp, freshly printed white paper. A line at the bottom was to be signed. Anthony stared at it.  
“I can leave?” he asked.  
“If you sign this paper, yes, We’ve gone through your public details and provided an alias so your absence isn’t too wild. I’m sure that it says here that you took an emergency trip to an enclosed location. We’ve had your friends, Mari and Matt, I believe, consent to agreeing with it.” Anthony was frozen on the spot. His mind couldn’t wrap around the idea.  
“Pen,” he said suddenly. Dr. Moattin handed him a black pen, cap off and ready to use. Anthony set the paper on the desk, his hand shaking as he struggled to sign his name. Albeit his signature was sloppy, it was legitimate and good enough.  
“Congratulations. But...,” Dr. Moattin stopped Anthony in his rushed attempt to walk towards the exit, “Dr. Malel wants to talk to you.” Anthony looked at Dr. Moattin.  
“Where is he?” Anthony asked curiously.  
“Behind you,” a man voiced, causing Anthony to spin. “Hello, Anthony. The prodigy.”  
“...Prodigy.” Dr. Malel nodded, walking forward.  
“Never in the years I’ve been here that I’ve seen a connection between you and that Ian of yours,” he explained. “It was almost novel worthy.” He adjusted his stance. “Anyways, I’m hoping that he and you can get back together. You’re quite the team, you know.” Anthony nodded almost drastically. He was too overwhelmed with emotions that he couldn’t control. “About a month ago, we let your friend Matt take him in to make sure he was okay. As of now, I believe he’s still in custody with Matt.”  
“So I can see him?”  
“You can, yes.” Anthony looked over at Dr. Moattin.  
“I’ll be sending you on your way myself,” Dr. Moattin said. “I’ll be in the car, and you can ask as many questions as you want.” Anthony nodded. He looked at Dr. Malel.  
“Go on,” he ushered, waving his hands towards the front exit. Anthony nodded, not smiling, but still in shock. He followed Dr. Moattin out to the car and stepped inside it, sitting down. The car started moving down the road, through the security gate he never noticed before.  
He was leaving, finally. He was going home.  
“Have you heard from Ian?” Anthony asked Dr. Moattin. He shook his head.  
“I haven’t,” Dr. Moattin said, shaking his head. “Once he left, we lost all consent for him.” He grinned reassuringly. “I’m sure Ian’s waiting for you.” Anthony nodded. He watched the trees pass outside, thinking about what it would be like. What Ian would think when he walked inside Matt’s house, alive and well. How Ian would hug him and rest his head on his shoulder, golden hands warming him to the core.  
The ride ended faster than Anthony anticipated as they parked in front of Matt’s house. The driver rounded the car and opened Anthony’s door, letting Anthony step out and feel the fresh breeze of Sacramento for the first time in a while.  
“I’ll see you soon, then,” Anthony said, turning to look at Dr. Moattin.  
“No, you won’t,” Dr. Moattin laughed. “But I hope to meet up again.” Anthony smiled and shut the door, waving as he watched the black car drive away. He turned back to the house. Matt’s house. With his luck, Mari was inside, too. He took a deep breath. Another. A few steps, then he stopped. He felt jittery. He walked the full length to the front door. He knocked twice.  
“In a second!” a voice that must’ve been Mari’s yelled. Anthony grinned as he heard footsteps clomp towards the door until it swung open. Mari stood there and looked up at Anthony.  
“Hi, Mari,” Anthony greeted, and was replied to with a large, tackling hug.  
“Holy shit, Anthony,” she said into his ear, jumping back down to her feet. “I’m so glad you’re back.”  
“Same. Matt’s here, too?”  
“Yeah, come in.” Mari ushered Anthony inside. “Matt! Anthony’s back!” Rushed feet sped to the living room.  
“Shit, man!” Matt yelled, jogging towards Anthony and giving him a warm hug before pulling away. “It’s great that you’re back.”  
“I’m real happy to be out of that cage, yeah,” Anthony nodded, grinning. “And...Ian?” Matt’s smile faded, as did Mari’s.  
“Uh...,” Mari started, then shook her head. “Sit down.” Anthony’s mind became extremely confused, refusing to put pieces together. He walked towards the couch and flopped down, watching Mari sit next to him and Matt stand next to the arm. “Listen, Anthony... When Ian came back here, Matt tried his best to take care of him. He did everything you did.”  
“Not even a week ago, Ian...,” Matt added, “He did something that I don’t even know what it was. I went to get him out of bed and he was lying there. His hands were glowing red and he wasn’t moving.”  
“What... What are you saying?” Anthony asked, still not working together the puzzle.  
“Anthony... Ian’s dead,” Mari finally said.  
Anthony froze, much like he did at the laboratory he left not even three hours ago.  
He began crying. Mari hugged him, Matt gave comforting hand on his back. He cried onto himself, his jeans he hadn’t washed in two months soaked with tears, jacket sleeves wet from wiping his nose.  
“What did you do?” Anthony finally found the will to ask.  
“We had him buried,” Matt said. “Properly. We wish he was still here, Anthony, we would’ve done anything to stop it.” Anthony nodded, taking deep breaths.  
“I want...to see him...,” Anthony said slowly. Mari nodded. She looked up at Matt.  
“I’ll drive him, yeah,” Matt nodded, helping Anthony to his feet. Anthony was a bumbling, stumbling mess on the way to Matt’s car. He helped Anthony into the passenger’s seat before he took his own in the driver’s. They began the trip to the graveyard, the ride silent.  
Anthony thought back to everything that had happened before this. Ian in the street, petting Daisy. Ian eating straight-up ranch. Ian asking if he was a girlfriend, carrying apple juice.  
Ian being taken away. Ian crying. Ian kissing his cheek.  
Ian leaving without a goodbye, but simply an, “I know.”  
Did Ian really know? How could Ian know what he was going to say?  
Anthony almost smiled. It was probably that romantic one movie we watched before, he thought. That must’ve been it.  
So as they arrived at the gravestone, as Matt stood behind at the car, Anthony took small steps to the headstone labeled Ian Hecox, with no date of birth, and no date of death. Simply his name, and specks surrounding it. Anthony’s hand dropped to the top of the concrete, glowing a golden colour as he did so. He watched Ian’s headstone illuminate where his hand was, and he could’ve sworn his name lit up slightly. He sat down against the headstone, his head pressed onto Ian’s name.  
“So... Ian. That’s a nice name, isn’t it...”


	12. Extended Ending: Glowing Hands And Red Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not all hearts are meant to be broken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes. It's an extended ending. Also part of a bigger project. Brace yourself for this extension. xoxo

“Anthony,” Ian said as he watched Anthony sit next to a tombstone that bore his name, or at least the one Anthony gave him. Anthony shook his head.  
“Hearing things...” he muttered. “Like you’re really here.”  
“But I am...” Anthony looked around, both left and right.  
“Ian?”  
“Behind you.” Anthony stood up and turned to see his best friend, if that was all he was. Anthony walked forward and hugged him. “Hi, Anthony.”  
“Mari and Matt told me you were dead.” Ian pulled away, looking almost guilty. “What?”  
“Anthony, I told them to tell you I was dead.” He rubbed his eyes. “My hands never glowed red, and I never passed out on the bed. I wanted to leave, but I felt bad about not telling you instead.” Anthony looked at him, confused.  
“So... you didn’t want to see me again?”  
“I didn’t want you to hurt me.” Ian’s hands glowed golden as he held them up. “I don’t want you to hurt me, ever.”  
“And after all that’s happened before, you think that I’ll hurt you? Ian, I wouldn’t hurt you even if I wanted to.”  
“But I was hoping you’d move on from me. Onto something else. Someone else, too.”  
“I don’t want to move on... I just want to stay here, and I want you to stay here. I just want us to stay here, together.”  
“I can’t do that, Anthony. Even after all the help you’ve given me, I can’t stay here. It’s too much. You got so angry at me for no reason, you were so annoyed.” Anthony balled up his hands.  
“But that was before!” he yelled. “I’m not like that anymore!”  
“Anthony-”  
“Ian, you can’t just push me away! You just can’t!” He shook his head, then pushed Ian away from him. “Selfish! You’re a selfish bastard!” Ian winced at the sharp pain in both his shoulders.  
“I’m not selfish for wanting to be safe.”  
“But you’re selfish for wanting to leave, just because you don’t want to stay with me! You don’t want to see me, you don’t even want me!”  
“I-” Anthony shook his head, walking away from the man he once was friends with, the man he once had to teach how to eat and how to sleep, how to live and how to be. He left all that hard work standing next to a tombstone that bore his name. Ian watched from the distance at Anthony get in the car after Mari and Matt. The ones that drove him to where his heart could have stayed broken instead of replaced with a glowing red one that could destroy him from the inside out.


	13. Extended Ending: A Monster You Will Be

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One by one you'll be restrained...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An extra extended ending. Just 'cause I'm so nice. This is also part of a bigger project.  
> The poems you'll see are mine. I wrote them. xoxo

Anthony waved his hands around.  
Two years.  
Two years since the incident.  
Two years since he made the biggest mistake of his life.  
He waved them again.  
Two years since happiness.  
Two years since laughter.  
Two years since he’s had the feeling of joy in life.  
“This is so ridiculous,” he muttered, shaking his head. "Get it out."  
A hand of life, a hand of death  
Only one you will have taken  
But if you have been cursed with both  
A monster you will awaken  
"Anthony," a voice from the side said. "We got pizza, if you were hungry."  
"Mari," Anthony said without looking at her.  
"...What?"  
"If you were cursed with the power of life and death, how long do you think you'd go on before you start going insane?" Mari sighed.  
In the light and in the dark  
Only one you will have seen  
But if you have been cursed by both  
A monster you will be  
"I don't know, Anthony," she replied. She walked forward, sitting in the adjacent chair. "I think... Maybe you should see a therapist." Anthony sighed, obviously annoyed. "Look, Matt and I have talked about it. You won't eat, you won't sleep. You won't talk unless it's about wondering if you are crazy-"  
"I'll only say this once," Anthony interrupted, looking straight at her. "There's only one person in this world who can ensure that I'm not insane. But that person left me, and they're not coming back. So I wait for my brain to rot and my body to die, only because once that happens, it doesn't matter to me if I'm crazy or not." Mari opened her mouth to speak, but decided it wasn't worth it. She was already tired as it was.  
"There's pizza in the kitchen," she ended. She stood up and went to the doorway, but not before turning and saying, "And that person didn't leave you. You pushed them out." She left the room. Anthony didn't seem to mind. He nodded his head back and forth to an imaginary tune.  
One of shackles and one of chains  
One by one you'll be restrained  
To save you from the evil hands  
That crafted the path you once began


End file.
